🔼The name Tirhanah: Summary
- Meaning
- Kindness
- Inhabiting Of A Residence
- Etymology
- From the verb רחם (raham), to love deeply.
- From Chaldean verbs for the inhabit and to reside.
🔼The name Tirhanah in the Bible
The name Tirhanah occurs only once in the Bible, namely in 1 Chronicles 2:48, where Tirhanah is listed as one of the sons of Caleb of Hezron and his concubine Maacah.
🔼Etymology of the name Tirhanah
It's unclear where our name comes from as it doesn't resemble anything in Hebrew. It might have to do with the equally mysterious name Terah (תרח) or, as most commentators appear to favor, it might stem from an otherwise unused root רחן (rahan), which in turn may stem from the verb רחם (raham), to love deeply or have mercy:
רחם
Verb רחם (raham) means to love deeply or have mercy, and commonly reflects the attentions of a superior toward an inferior (parents to children, God to people). It appears to derive from the noun רחם (rehem), womb.
Noun רחמים (rahamim) means compassions or tender mercies and adjective רחום (rahum) means compassionate.
🔼Tirhanah meaning
For a meaning of the name Tirhanah, NOBSE Study Bible Name List appears to go with רחם (raham) and reads Kindness. BDB Theological Dictionary refers to an unexplained root רחן (rahan). Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names refers to the Chaldean verbs תרן (trn), to inhabit, and חנה (hnh), to reside, and translates our name with Inhabiting Of A Residence.